Why You Should Skip Ibiza and Head to Formentera Instead

Fashion stylist Laura Ferrara escapes to this tiny Mediterranean island (usually in July) to do as little as possible. “Sometimes we don’t leave the house until 2 p.m.,” says Ferrara, who’s rented a four-bedroom home with a guesthouse in Sant Ferran with two other families for the last two years. “We’ll catch an octopus, roast it in the backyard, drink local wine, and play the guitar.” They spend lazy afternoons swimming in secluded coves, or they’ll head to their favorite white sand beaches, Playa de Ses Illetes, Playa Migjorn, and, for snorkeling, Es Calò. Though the island telegraphs breezy style, it’s nothing like its flashier neighbor Ibiza. “No one’s getting dressed up,” says Ferrara. Instead of heels, Ferrara, like everyone else on the island, wears handmade espadrilles from El Pilar de la Mola (a market open on Wednesday and Sunday afternoons) or leather sandals from Ishvara. And for those ubiquitous handwoven beach baskets with beautiful leather straps—of which Ferrara says she has “too many to count”—pop into a local hardware store (yes, you read that right).